"God is alive. He has created every one of us and he knows us all. He is so great that he has time for the little things in our lives: “Every hair of your head is numbered”. God is alive, and he needs people to serve him and bring him to others. It does makes sense to become a priest: the world needs priests, pastors, today, tomorrow and always, until the end of time." - Pope Benedict XVI

Saturday, 26 January 2008

Bishops, buffets and football

Happy feast of Ss Timothy and Titus.

Now that Michael and Luke are back from placement, the East Anglian presence in Oscott is notable (look out Birmingham). This was especially true of this last week when the bishop came up to visit. We got to talk to him about how seminary was going, and even have a bit of banter with him when we went out for a Chinese buffet in the evening. As if latin, greek and hebrew weren't enough, Michael and Luke were quizzed on their cambodian, which they had used last summer on placement there. I think the bishop wins in that department. He was also happy to talk about Leeds football!

Yesterday Oscott won their first football match in years, against Maryvale Institute, the Catholic college just down the road. Granted, you'd expect a seminary full of twenty and thirty year olds to beat a team that only came together for this match, but still it's a win! I wonder if it's apporopriate to pray to John Paul II that we beat our rivals from Wonersh seminary next week? It could be the miracle that makes him patron saint of footballers...

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East Anglia Seminarians

Prayer for Priestly Vocations

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who moved to pity at the sight of the multitudes, scattered like sheep without a shepherd, didst say to Thy disciples: "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send labourers into His harvest," deign to turn Thine eyes of pity on this our diocese, and to call to Thy priesthood young men, who will spend themselves and be spent for Thy honour and glory, and for the souls whom Thou has redeemed with Thy Most Precious Blood, Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for Seminarians

O Lord Jesus Christ, great High Priest, I pray that You call many worthy souls to Your holy priesthood.

Enlighten the Bishop in the choice of candidates, the Spiritual Director in molding them, and the professors in instructing them.

Lead the seminarians daily in Your unerring footsteps; so that they may become priests who are models of purity, possessors of wisdom and heroes of sacrifice; steeped in humility and aflame with love for God and man; apostles of Your glory and sanctifiers of souls.

Amen.

Prayer for the Pope

V. Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict.R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him to be blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies

Our Father. Hail Mary.

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant, Benedict, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving-kindness, in the way of eternal salvation; that, of thy gift, he may ever desire that which is pleasing unto thee and may accomplish it with all his might. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Prayer for the Queen

V. O Lord, save Elizabeth, our Queen.R. And hear us on the day we call upon you.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.R. And let my cry come before you.

[V. The Lord be with you.R. And with your spirit.]

Let us pray

Almighty God, we pray, that your servant Elizabeth, our Queen, who, by your providence has received the governance of this realm, may continue to grow in every virtue, that, imbued with your heavenly grace, she may be preserved from all that is harmful and evil and, being blessed with your favour may, with her consort and the royal family, come at last into your presence, through Christ who is the way, the truth and the life and who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.